Motorists ‘confused’ by foreign road signs

MILLIONS OF Brits break the law when driving abroad every year as they find foreign road signs confusing, it has been claimed.

New research has shown that nearly a quarter have a blasé attitude towards rules on foreign roads with just one in five bothering to learn them in advance of getting behind the wheel.

The most common laws broken every year are speeding, at 18 per cent, a quarter drove on the wrong side of the road while 14 per cent failed to have a breathalyser kit in the car.

The study by law firm Slater and Gordon follows the recent EU rule change which means British drivers can now be fined for the first time when caught by a speed camera in Europe.

Previously, drivers could only be fined for speeding abroad when caught on the road or if their details were available because they hired the car.

The survey canvassed the views of 1,800 drivers who had driven abroad.

Kieran Mitchell, a specialist travel lawyer at Slater and Gordon, said: “We have assisted numerous clients who have been involved in accidents abroad which were simply down to other people’s misjudgment or stupidity.

“Many of these accidents are very nasty and have a long-lasting effect on the clients’ lives.

“You wouldn’t risk drinkdriving at home or letting someone else who has been drinking drive you, so why take the risk abroad?

“It’s imperative you treat the foreign legal systems with even more respect than UK law as you’re less familiar of the rules.”